Mea Culpa
by Kiki2009
Summary: HIATUS FOR NOW! Mea Culpa" Latin: I am to blame; I take responsibility. Sasuke returns to Konoha after he defected, hoping to be reinstated as a Konoha shinobi. He knows it won't be easy. Takes place during present anime, earlier manga. Slight Sasu/Naru


Hello everyone! It's your lovely author here, I will warn you now, you'll probably come to hate me in the next upcoming weeks and months! You see, I've had the idea for this story for forever, but for awhile lost my interest in Naruto and all that. Well, my interest has been renewed and furthermore, I have internet now, so I can start posting again! This is going to be a long multi-chapter fic, and really isn't meant to be a story read by itself. No, this story is actually the prequel to the next multi-chapter fic, which is the one I'm _really_ looking forward to.

This fic is probably going to take me a while for a couple of reasons, one (and most importantly) although I have been feeling the need and urge to write, I, for some reason unknown to me, cannot find the inspiration to do so. I still force myself, and the result is this first chapter, of which I am not at all satisfied, more than likely this fic will get better as it goes on, but it may continue to disappoint me as it continues.

I should probably warn all of you that this is going to be a Sasuke/Naruto fic. There will be no real and concrete Sasuke/Naruto for awhile yet, as this is the back story that I feel compelled to tell for some reason. In fact, this story has more Tsunade and Sasuke talking together than it does Naruto and Sasuke. Fear not though my fellow loyal Sasuke/Naruto fans, I'll pack this baby so full of Sasuke/Naruto angst you won't be able to stand it!

For this reason, since it's boy on boy love (although there isn't much physical action for awhile yet) I'm gonna rate this as R because some aren't exactly keen on reading about boy on boy love! Consider it my great gift to you, those who are afraid to read about homosexual love! Okay, this has gone on way too long, without further ado, enjoy!

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or anything that relates to Naruto. I do, however, own the clone copies I keep in my head for the exact purpose of doing what i please with them. MUHAHAHAHa!

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"What?" asked Tsunade, her jaw slackening just slightly and her eyes widening until they popped out unpleasantly. She stared back at the man before her, and would have searched his face for any hints of dishonesty if it wasn't hidden behind that clay mask. Her mind refused to catch up to situation that had been presented before her; after all, she was completely unprepared for this turn of events. She had never… no one could've… it just simply… _it was just so improbable._

"Uchiha Sasuke has returned, we currently have him in captivity in sector 147. We are awaiting further instruction. He has asked permission to have a word with you." the ANBU guard replied, his voice monotone, but Tsunade felt she could hear a hint of disbelief in his own words behind the protocol.

"Yes, well…" she certainly hadn't expected Sasuke to be back in Konoha's walls anytime soon, and of his own free will… why, she hadn't really ever prepared for this possibility. And now he had the gall to ask to have a word with her? She had no idea how to approach this situation, after all, she had never really even spoken to this young man before, and she couldn't possibly predict these strange movements of his.

'That settles it; I need to bring in council.' she thought, eyes shifting back to the ANBU standing rigidly in front of her desk.

"Hold him where he is until I send for him, and… send Kakashi up here; tell him that I need to speak to him about… a student of his." Tsunade chose to make it appear that she was talking about one of his present students, Naruto or Sakura, in her message instead of mentioning his former one. If anyone were to over hear the message they would know exactly who it would be about; after all, Kakashi only had one former student.

"Yes, Hokage-sama," the ANBU bowed and disappeared to relay the messages while the Hokage pondered over this new turn of events.

o O o

"What?" asked Kakashi, his one eye widening and his arms falling slack.

"Yes, that was my reaction too." replied Tsunade, as she reached up and massaged her temples, attempting to relieve the forming head-ache. She has to admit, she was breaking code here. Technically she shouldn't be asking for council from someone who had been so attached to Sasuke in the first place. Generally this was frowned upon; he had been so involved with Sasuke that his advice could be liable to be biased.

But who else was she to turn to?

"I understand that this is a shock to you as well, and I have no doubt that it will probably be painful for you to view the situation neutrally. But you are the only one I can rely on in these circumstances--"

"--because both Sakura and Naruto would be too emotional and headstrong to count for anything. I get it." interrupted Kakashi as he leaned against the wall beside the door. He makes a vow to grab Asuma later and go out and get mind-numbingly drunk.

"Yes."

There was silence for awhile, as Tsunade gave Kakashi time to absorb this new information and think. After all, she had, in no less than five minutes, told him that his traitorous student had returned and asked for the opportunity to speak with the Hokage, furthermore, he had returned of his own free-will (as far as they could tell) and was now awaiting her reply. And Tsunade didn't know what the hell she was going to do.

"Does anyone know whether it's truly Sasuke or not? It could possibly be Orochimaru… in… in Sasuke's body." Kakashi finally said in a quiet voice, his one eye staring back at her, and Tsunade felt as if he was daring her to say so.

"So far he has shown no signs of being anyone other than Sasuke, there is a possibility that it is actually Orochimaru but that's why I haven't allowed him to cross into Konoha yet. However, if it _does _turn out to be Orochimaru then we both know what action I must take… if it really is Sasuke I'm not entirely sure _what_I should do, or how to predict his actions." Tsunade replied, her voice strong despite her growing feeling of confusion.

"If this was any other shinobi then you would have had him executed on the spot." Kakashi said, and as Tsunade looked back at his casual pose, she has the distinct impression that she is being scolded.

"We both know he isn't just any other shinobi." she replied, maybe a bit too harshly, but she's relieved when she sees that Kakashi seems to be smiling at her underneath his mask. However, his expression soon turns serious.

"If we're dealing with the real Sasuke then we have to assume that he is much more powerful than when he left, last time we met he had been far superior to Naruto in strength. We must also take into account that right now is about the time that Sasuke would be under tightest security at Orochimaru's base since now would be the opportune time for Orochimaru to take over his body. So we might want to assume that he was strong enough to bypass any security put on him, and quite possibly Orochimaru himself as well."

Tsunade found this hard to believe, after all, Orochimaru had always been the strongest of all the Sannin, but she kept it open as a possibility. It was true, Sasuke had been stronger than Naruto, and Naruto had been alarmingly strong at the time. He had probably improved since then and should be considered a dangerous threat, but she was still skeptical that he was strong enough to beat Orochimaru.

"Yes Kakashi, I had expected him to be powerful, but right now that is not my concern, my concern is what I should _do_ with him."

"You should take him up on his request, but have several guards standing by, he can't be trusted yet but there is no doubt that he has information we want. He has been living with Orochimaru for three years and has probably been following Itachi's movements just as closely as we have. It may be beneficial to hear what he has to say." Kakashi said, his one eye staring back at her, and his arms coming down to his sides, "I'll go recruit bodyguards I see fit to deal with Sasuke, I'm guessing that we don't want this information to leak to the general public?"

"I don't want anyone to know unless they have to." replied Tsunade, her eyes hard and her voice stern, Kakashi knew what he was doing but… Kakashi had always played his own game and generally acted on selfish impulses instead of following orders, and right now, that was the last thing she needed.

"Understood." was the only thing he says before he, like the ANBU, disappeared.

o O o

Tsunade knew she picked the right person to confide this new information in. She knew that Kakashi would never purposely have made any mistakes in regard to this issue. But, when he had said he would take care of the choice of guards she hadn't thought he would be setting up some type of reunion.

As Tsunade seethed silently the Rookie Nine and the graduating class before them stood at minor attention. In smaller groups some of these ninjas might have been inclined to show a little more respect, instead of lounging against walls and sitting on the floor while they awaited Kakashi and his two students, Sakura and Naruto, to join them. Apparently, in their numbers, they had grown cocky. It figured that even at a time like this Kakashi felt it was appropriate to be late. It was well past noon and Sasuke had been kept waiting for over three hours. This wasn't a situation where time could be wasted. Many variables had yet to be confirmed, like his health, his intent, or even who he truly even was.

"Sorry we're late; Naruto was catching up on some sleep, and apparently, didn't want to be disturbed." Kakashi announced, as he walked into the room. A very sullen Naruto followed behind him, and behind _him_Sakura tagged along, unusually close to Naruto.

This behavior was odd enough, this closeness that Sakura was usually so careful not to be a part of, add that to the sullen expression of Naruto's and Tsunade had no idea what was going on. Something must be wrong, their last mission had been a mind blowing success and both Sakura and Naruto were getting stronger by the day, what could possibly…

It was Sasuke, it was always Sasuke. Today was the anniversary of his departure.

What a coincidence.

Tsunade observed Naruto's sullen expression, the familiar pout tinged with regret and self-hatred. No doubt he was still feeling weak, remembering his past failures with Sasuke, his bright blue eyes were dull in comparison to their usual brilliance. Sakura looked no better, her hair was in tangled disarray and her eyes were puffy. This in itself wasn't so abnormal as to shock her, but the way she was almost clinging to Naruto was. She was so close to him that their hands kept brushing off of one another, and, if Tsunade wasn't mistaken, Sakura was holding onto the cuff of Naruto's sleeve.

She could tell they'd been wallowing in self pity with each other all day.

Kakashi walked up to her slowly, but Tsunade kept her eyes focused on the scene unfolding behind him. A few of the more perceptive Leaf Ninjas observed Naruto's and Sakura's expressions and decided it was better to let the subject rest. Even the most dense of their friends couldn't miss the tell tale signs of a bad mood; however, they were more inclined to bother them about it then leave them well enough alone. For the most part Naruto and Sakura didn't really respond to their friends' gentle inquiries, and they finally caught on and stopped asking.

"Are you sure they're emotionally equipped to handle this?" asked Tsunade, staring pointedly at Naruto and Sakura, when Kakashi finally made his way to her desk. She looked up at him then, searching for a true answer and not one that was simply meant to put her at peace.

Kakashi stared back down at her for only a second; taking in her expression of concern, and for a moment, Tsunade could see the ANBU in him, the cold calculation in his dark eye, before it closed and he smiled.

"I have no doubt they'll rally soon enough. After all, through all this confusion as to what Sasuke's motives are there is the undeniable fact that Sasuke has come home. They'll be relieved if nothing else." Kakashi said, voice low in case any one of the ninjas behind them were attempting to listen in.

"There is the undeniable fact that Sasuke's _body _has returned home. Nothing else has yet to be confirmed Kakashi, don't get ahead of yourself." replied Tsunade, and again her eyes strayed back to the two most colorful ninjas in the room. What would they do if it turned out that Sasuke wasn't Sasuke but instead Orochimaru? Would Naruto be able to bring himself to kill Sasuke, even though it was actually Orochimaru inside? Could Sakura force herself to fight, when her whole reason for fighting had been swept out from under her feet? Three and a half years of dedication, solely to one person, and to have that person swallowed up, not even die but just simply cease to exist? It might be too much for either of them to bear.

Kakashi could see the doubt in Tsunade's eyes, the slow creeping nervousness, she was probably wondering of maybes and maybe nots. Kakashi was well aware of the danger to Naruto's and Sakura's psyches should this ordeal turn out for the worst. If it was up to him, he'd make sure Naruto and Sakura were there, but, unfortunately, it wasn't his call. The only thing he could do to help his students cause was to push Tsunade in the right direction and give her less time to think of consequences.

"Tsunade-sama, we probably shouldn't wait any longer, obviously we can't ease into a situation like this, my advice is to just get it out of the way." Kakashi said, staring down at her lazily, his hands in his pockets. He'd set everything up to the best of his ability, and now, it was up to Tsunade to decide what she wanted to do with the materials he'd placed before her.

"Right." Tsunade said, groaning a little as she stood up. Kakashi imagined that having breasts the size of melons would really hurt the back after awhile, and wondered if she'd ever thought of having a breast reduction… they must get in the way of throwing kunai, at the very least…

Kakashi decided now just wasn't the time to be contemplating breasts, especially his Hokage's breasts.

As soon as Tsunade stood up all of the ninjas in the room straightened. Those sitting stood up, and they quickly formed a rigid line that curved at the ends, the office being too small for all of them at once. Sakura knew better than to invoke Tsunade's anger if there's a mission that involves so many ninja. These are the crème of the crop, obviously this mission was of utmost importance, and Sakura must pretend that she cares about whatever it is Tsunade-sama has to say, or else, she'll be sorely sorry for it. Naruto straightens also, but his face doesn't go blank like everyone else's, it holds a sort of resentfulness to it, one that Tsunade is briefly afraid might never go away. She closed her eyes for only a moment, and then opened them, with a renewed hardness.

"Understand that what I'm about to tell you can never leave this room. For some of you the mission I'm about to assign will be emotionally taxing, some of you may not want to participate once you've heard what I'm about to say. I'm giving you a chance now, if you aren't feeling up to it, to decline and leave." Tsunade scanned the room, eyes resting on Naruto and Sakura, implying that perhaps that today was better a day for them to hole up in a room together and wallow. If she could only get the two of them to decline the mission, she could proceed without worries, they might not ever even know.

But then, eventually they'd have to find out, it was unrealistic to think that no one in this room would leak the information to the two people it pertained to the most. And then, would Naruto always look at her with that resentful face, sullen eyes, and that deep set hatred that was now for himself but later would be for her?

Neither Sakura nor Naruto moved even an inch, although Sakura's eyes took on a suspicious glint.

Tsunade wondered how long she could go without actually saying it. Could she manage to drawl on long enough for them to get tired and just go on ahead home? Forget the whole thing? Surely she could handle this with Kakashi and a few ANBU, was it really necce—

"Tsunade-sama." Kakashi reminded quietly, watching her very closely, and bringing her out of her rambling thoughts. Tsunade cleared her throat, and prepared herself for the plunge. Once she said it, there was no taking it back, Naruto and Sakura would latch onto it immediately. It was best to just say it, she decided, looking at the increasing worry on her subordinates faces. Blurt it out, spill it all over the floor, and then get ready to tie Naruto down so he didn't shoot off right away.

"Sasuke is currently being held captive in sector 147. He arrived, by himself, a little less than four hours ago. He has requested an audience with me and I plan on giving it to him. Kakashi has hand picked each of you to escort me to sector 147 and await further instruction by my side." Tsunade announced, she kept her eyes closed, not yet wanting to look at the reactions she would undoubtedly be receiving.

"What?"

Tsunade opened her eyes to a silent group who were all staring at Sakura or Naruto or away from them. Sakura looked as if her knees were about to give out, and Naruto… Naruto's face and stance hadn't changed at all. If Naruto hadn't been the one who had asked "What?" Tsunade may have wondered whether or not he even heard her.

"A-Are you sure? I mean, is it… is it really Sasuke-kun?" whispered Sakura, who was now holding onto Ino, whose expression was flitting between confused, shocked, and concerned.

Naruto still hadn't moved an inch.

"There has been no evidence so far to suggest it's anyone but Sasuke himself." Tsunade said, feeling as if she'd been saying it to people all morning.

"I can't believe this."

A few more heads turned their attention to Naruto, who seemed to have moved a little at last. His hands had formed two tight fists at his sides.

"Seriously? I mean, three and a half years… three and a half years… and that bastard thinks he can just walk right back into Konoha _without_me kicking his ass? Seriously?" Naruto said, more to himself than anyone else, his eyes losing that dull sheen, and returning to their prior brilliance. "That asswipe has another thing coming if he seriously thinks he's coming home without my fist implanted in his face!" Naruto was defiantly rallying now.

Naruto looked at Sakura with a grin, and Sakura responded with a small smile of her own. Naruto's determined eyes lifted from Sakura's to Tsunade's own. He gave her a beaming smile.

"Alright Tsunade baa-chan, there's no time to waste, let's bring Sasuke home!"

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Okay, I hope the first chapter isn't too bad. Just let me get warmed up and I swear it will get better! Feel free to review, trust me, it feels great and a little inspiring to get to read reviews! Thanks so much for reading!


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